Manufacturing & The Economy

For the second year in a row, industrial employment in Texas posted a significant gain, according to the 2013 Texas Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI). MNI reports Texas gained 32,680 manufacturing jobs from April 2012 to April 2013, or 2.7% - - more than double the gain MNI for the 2011-2012 survey period, and two percentage points above the national average gain as reported by the Labor Department.

Manufacturers’ News reports Texas is now home to 22,642 manufacturers employing 1,200,525 workers.

According to the industrial directory, gains were spread across most sectors, with some of the largest increases seen in the state’s top industries by employment. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks first in the state for manufacturing employment with 175,592 jobs, up 4.2% over the year. Fabricated metals ranks second with 120,680 manufacturing jobs, up 4.6%, while oil & gas extraction accounts for 118,496 industrial jobs, up 8.1%.